Dr. Rachel Wolfe of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., agreed that chondroitin is reasonable to try for some people, especially those with contraindications to NSAIDs.
“However, it should not replace other therapy such as quad strengthening exercises, and weight loss, which we know will provide benefit. It should be used in conjunction with these measures,” says Dr. Wolfe, who wasn’t involved in the study.
“Chondroitin is not a miracle pill, but if it allows people to feel less pain and be more active, thereby losing weight and strengthening muscles, then I think there may benefit,” Dr. Wolfe tells Reuters Health by email. “Studies like this highlight that medicine is still an art—we do not have perfect answers, and we have to individualize for each patient.”
The study was sponsored by IBSA Institut Biochimique SA, a pharmaceutical company based in Lugano, Switzerland, that makes the chondroitin sulfate supplements used in the test.
Reference
- Reginster JY, Dudler J, Blicharski T, et al. Pharmaceutical-grade chondroitin sulfate is as effective as celecoxib and superior to placebo in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: The ChONdroitin versus CElecoxib versus Placebo Trial (CONCEPT). Ann Rheum Dis. 2017 May 22. pii: annrheumdis-2016-210860. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2016-210860. [Epub ahead of print]
